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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Masei
On the positive side, we manage to overcome all the myriad challenges that desert travel can entail: Thirst, famine, the cruel elements, war. Hashem protects us with loving care. We live miraculous lives, eating the amazing Mahn, drinking from a moveable spring; learning from Moshe himself as we move, accompanied by a pillar of cloud by day and one of fire by night. We defeat any and all foes, from Moav to Midian to Sichon and Og the Giant.
Yet all is not peaches and cream (even with the Mahn!). We will quarrel mightily along the way, angering both Moshe and Hashem. Aharon and Miriam will die, and an internal rebellion against Moshe’s leadership will have to be brutally quashed. Most tragic of all, the dream of entering
Eretz Yisrael will have to be denied or deferred for the nation, most of who will end up perishing in the desert.
The journeys of Masei are as exhausting as they are exhilarating. But they have a special message for us. I believe that every Parsha in the Torah – not just Yetziat Mitzrayim, the Exodus – is meant to be experienced as well as examined, and so I suggest the following exercise:
Find a quiet, comfortable place to relax. Close your eyes and mentally begin the journey of your life. Start as far back as your mind will take you, to your very earliest childhood. Visit your home, your school, your friends and relatives. Then move on, slowly, to the seminal
experiences of your life: Your happiest moments and your greatest achievements, the places you loved to visit, all the things that stand out as blessed mileposts along your personal journey.
But don’t leave out the rocky roads, either. The moments that made you sad, the loved ones lost along the way; the times you came up short rather than prevailed, the opportunities missed and the tests you failed. Yes, these can be painful memories, but they may actually be the most emotive and character-shaping of all your journeys.
Through it all, try to remember: You were never completely alone. You had lots of help from fellow travelers and those who loved you.
The last word in Bamidbar is "Yericho," Jericho. But the letters of this word can be re-arranged to spell "Ruach Hashem," the spirit of G-d. Perhaps it is G-d's code reminding us that He was - and always will - be our travel partner.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.